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Midkemia
Geography Midkemia is very similar to Earth in climate, and its flora and fauna. It has three continents: Triagia, Novindus and Wiñet. It has two oceans, named differently in each continent/nation: The Endless Sea west of Triagia and east of Novindus where it is called the Blue Sea. The Sea of Tears is east of Triagia and west of Novindus where it is called the Green Sea. Midkemia has 3 moons. Triagia Triagia is the largest continent on Midkemia. Humans form the vast majority of the population of this continent, with other races contributing almost negligibly to the total. The extreme north is mostly sparsely inhabited wilderness with few enduring settlements. The continent surrounds, but does not completely enclose, two large seas, the Bitter Sea to the west and the Sea of Kingdoms to the east, which together form a moderately-sized isthmus in the middle of Triaga located about one-third of the length of the continent from south to north. The northern portion is heavily forested, but the south has few forests and is a more equatorial latitude. The Jal-Pur desert is the most notable desert on the continent and occupies most of the central expanse of the southern landmass. The two largest nations on this continent are, from south to north, the Empire of Great Kesh and the Kingdom of the Isles. Novindus Novindus is the second largest continent on Midkemia with a variety of landscapes. It is to the west of the Triagia across the Endless Sea and to the east across the Sea of Tears, and it is not immediately clear from the literature which is the closer distance, suggesting that it is probably close to halfway around the globe in either direction. Politically, it has a collection of largely independent city-states which are spread out across the continent but form no overarching political system. The continent featured highly in Feist's Serpent War saga, in which the continent was largely laid to waste. Located in this continent is a mountain range known as the Pavilion of the Gods. It is thought that the realm of the gods lie at the highest peak. At the foot of the mountain, is one entrance to the realm of Lims-Kragma. Wiñet Sometime ages ago, part of the continent rose up some 600 feet creating an isolated plateau. The lower portion of the continent was settled by refugees from Triagia, during the purging of the Ishapian Temple of the Heretics of Al-maral. The upper portion (The Ethel-Duath) was populated by the Saaur lizard-men, a race of nomadic warriors also created by Alma-Lodaka but who were left on the world of Shila, rather than Midkemia, and who were brought to serve the Emerald Queen during the Serpentwar. After the war was concluded, they were relocated by the magician Pug, who sought to remove them from the Kingdom without fighting. Technology and Magic Midkemia is on a technological par with 14th to 15th century Europe, with a few anachronisms. For example, shipbuilding seems to be as advanced as 17th-century Europe, with three-masted square-riggers in evidence but no gunpowder or cannons, though naphtha is known. Generally, the world is a mostly pre-industrial agrarian state. Magic in Midkemia is practiced by very few people. To the eyes of any nonmagician, anything that a person can do that cannot be explained is labeled magical. In the more superstitious rural areas, magic-users are usually shunned, or worse, captured and killed. Duke Borric of Crydee, with his foresight, bequeathed an island to Pug to start an academy devoted to magical studies, where magicians can gather without fear of discrimination and prejudice. With Pug's education on Kelewan, it is revealed that these Midkemian arts are considered the Lesser Path of Magic, and the Kelewan magic is the so-called Greater Path. The Lesser Arts were seen as rudimentary talents, more focused to the very nature of magic, while the Greater Arts were seen as having greater effectiveness and practicality such as teleportation, conjuring energy from nothing, and so on. Pug's "parting shot" in Kelewan was to destroy the Tsurani Imperial Coliseum using a magically conjured windstorm and earthquake. The Paths are normally mutually exclusive - a Greater Path magician would not be able to invoke Lesser Path powers and skills. There are several great magicians on Midkemia whose powers do not fit this dual-path model; Macros the Black, Pug conDoin (in his later years), Nakor the Isalani, Miranda, and Magnus, son of Pug and Miranda (and Robert De Lyse a student of Pug). Macros possessed abilities transcending the traditional Greater and Lesser Paths of magic; it is inconclusive whether this ability is a part of his gift upon becoming the avatar for Sarig, God of Magic, or if Macros was simply born with the ability like Pug. Similarly, Macros's protegé Pug, his wife Miranda, and his grandson Magnus also possessed the ability to invoking Lesser or Greater path powers at will. Nakor also wielded magic not confined to the classical definition of Lesser and Greater paths, though he insists upon the idea that "there is no magic", but merely "tricks" in manipulating some elemental forces of the world. As the books progress, Pug comes to the realisation that Nakor is correct, and the limits of magic are merely a result of a lack of understanding among magicians. Other inhabitants on Sorcerer's Isle during Pug's stay also demonstrated unique forms of magic, most of them being natives of other worlds. Cosmology Midkemia is located in a universe thought to be the "First Hell", with another six layers below the current one. It is also thought that another seven layers located above Midkemia are the "Seven Heavens". Also located within the same universe is Kelewan, homeworld of the Tsurani, and Shila, homeworld of the Saaur. Outside the known universe, is a city floating in the void, called City Forever. Also within the universe is a strange place called the Hall of Worlds. It appears as an endless corridor, with doors on either side leading to various places throughout the universe. An enterprising human set up a massive tavern, which became a crossroads and meeting place for all manner of beings. In the dimension beneath that of Midkemia's, is a world that appear to be a twisted reflection of Midkemia. This was Kosridi, the homeworld of the Dasati race. The fifth realm below Midkemia's is populated mostly by demons. A rift was opened between this realm and the world of Shila. The ensuing invasion of the demon race decimated the mighty empire of millions, leaving the world devoid of all life. Fauna *sandcrawlers, *rockclaws, *crabs *sand squints *gulls *horses *oxen *pigeons *hawks *rabbits *ducks *geese *firedrakes *owls *eagles *tigers *pigs *cattles *turnstones *plovers *otters *rats *ferrets *greyhounds (also seen in Kelewan) *Deer *Lions *Wyvrin *Silver hawks *Dragons *Bears (Black and Grey-Muzzeled) *Falcons *Mice See also *Races *Gods category:Midkemia